Pennsylvania to revolutionize preparation of STEM teachers

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, recently announced that Pennsylvania will make a commitment to ensuring excellent teachers are leading STEM classrooms in high-need schools across the state as the state establishes the Woodrow Wilson Pennsylvania Teaching Fellows program.

“Through the fellowship, STEM teachers will improve as educators and with PAsmart, the state in investing in the future of our students so they have the STEM skills for good jobs in high-growth fields that Pennsylvania needs,” Wolf said.

Pennsylvania becomes the sixth state to bring the Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellowship to its colleges and universities, joining Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey and Ohio.

The WW Pennsylvania Teaching Fellowship focuses on preparing top-quality educators for underserved public schools. Each Fellow receives $32,000 to complete a specially designed master’s degree program based on a yearlong classroom experience. In return, Fellows commit to teach for three years in urban and rural Pennsylvania schools that need strong STEM teachers.

“To remain competitive, our country must do a much better job of attracting more teachers who are both knowledgeable about math, science and engineering, and passionate about using innovative approaches to engage students in STEM learning,” said Pam Grossman, dean of the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education.

The WW Foundation will begin recruiting Fellows for the program immediately, with the first class of Pennsylvania Teaching Fellows expected to begin their program in the summer of 2019. Additional information on the Pennsylvania program can be found at https://woodrow.org/fellowships/ww-teaching-fellowships/pennsylvania.

Founded in 1945, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation (www.woodrow.org) identifies and develops the nation’s best minds to meet its most critical challenges.